Two thousand people have now joined an appeal calling on authorities to take ‘urgent action’ on a junction described by users as a ‘dangerous death trap’.
Councillor Marc Brunel-Walker started a petition last week calling on Bracknell Forest Council and Wokingham Borough Council to improve the safety of the junction between Old Wokingham Road and Easthampstead Road.
The site, which falls between Bracknell and Wokingham, has had ‘multiple serious multi-car collisions’ this year alone, according to the councillor.
Cllr Brunel-Walker, member for Wokingham Without and ex-Bracknell Forest Councillor, has argued that traffic lights be installed at the busy junction.
His petition launched on Change.Org has now gained 2,000 signatures, and will be presented to both Bracknell Forest and Wokingham Borough Councils.
It had gained nearly 700 signatures in the first 24 hours alone, before more than doubling this week.
The junction requires cars coming from Easthampstead Road to turn at a sharp bend as it meets a flow of cars on Old Wokingham Road.
Many users have said there is a lack of visibility for cars coming from Old Wokingham Road.
The key route into Bracknell Forest is often clogged with traffic and leads to the A329.
Introducing the petition, Cllr Brunel-Walker wrote: “The trauma is immense and the pleas for change constant. Yet, despite this, necessary safety improvements to this gravely hazardous junction remain elusive.
“We ask that Bracknell Forest Council and Wokingham Borough Council take immediate action to improve the conditions at Old Wokingham Road and Easthampstead Road.”
Signees to the petition described the junction as a ‘death trap’, with many claiming they avoid it altogether.
Others commented that they have experienced a ‘near miss’ at the junction, or knew family members who had an accident there.
Dawn Henchman-Price added: “It is a dangerous junction, you take your life (and others) into your hands trying to enter or exit the junction with high speed traffic.”
Others said that a roundabout or CCTV would be suitable to encourage drivers to slow down at the junction.
Councillor Marc-Brunel Walker said that the ‘urgency for substantial change cannot be overstated’, asking both councils to ‘take immediate action’.
He added that the situation is ‘a matter of public safety, human loss and shattered lives’.
As the site falls between the borders of Bracknell Forest and Wokingham Borough, the petition will be presented to both councils.
These can be presented during full council meetings by residents.
